The Three Worlds
by TraskLargero
Summary: A full Code Geass and Artemis Fowl crossover. Artemis, Holly, and Mulch are dragged from Fowl Manor and into the Code Geass Realm. New Enemies and new friends await them.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor claim to own any character, term, or place from these stories. They are the respective properties of their copyright holders. I am simply writing this as a fan for a non-profit exercize to enjoy writing. I am not going to claim to be completely true to the characters all the time but I will try to be as close as possible most of the time. Also methods used to bring them together may not be completely original but I ask for a bit of leeway.

My thanks go out to winterwings6, for his work on editing.

* * *

Chapter One: The Three Worlds

**Fowl Manor**

A meeting was taking place, one that had to remain hidden from the rest of humanity, but could affect the entire world. At the head of the table, a young man had just finished speaking, and his brow was now creased with deep thoughts. The rest of the room sat in stunned silence. All eyes were locked upon him.

"Artemis..." the single word came from midway along the table. Holly Short looked at the young man doubtfully, like the rest of the attendees. "How can you be so sure that it would work?"  
Artemis smiled, a predatory grin that would remind almost anyone of a vampire. "We already know what she is after, and we know that she typically has others do her dirty work for her. In other words, Opal would not be deceived by a physical trap. Instead we must allow her to take it, and then we will follow it back to her."

The next voice echoed from the TV set at the other end of the room. "Don't underestimate Koboi, Mudboy; she would be expecting something just like that."

"Of course she would. She would not be a genius if she weren't." Artemis replied to the centaur. "However if you want your enemy to make a move, offer them a prize that they are sure to take."

"But Artemis….the risks involved for both our races…." Holly protested.

"Are how much worse than having a power mad pixie running around unrestrained? At least with my plan you have a chance to bring her in so that you can get her back to her own time."

Foaly stopped chewing on a carrot for a moment to study Artemis. "The Commander is not going to like this."  
________________________________________

**  
LEP Headquarters  
Haven City, Lower Elements**

Commander Kelp stared across his desk at Foaly. "Do you have any idea what you are proposing?" he asked, turning deep tomato-red, a color that his predecessor had been rather notorious for. Foaly secretly wondered if Kelp was channeling the spirit of Julius "Beet" Root.

"I do, but as much as I hate to admit it, the Mudboy is right. This may very well be the only way to capture Koboi."

Trouble scowled thoughtfully. He had a lot of problems on his plate. Topping off the list would be the second Opal Koboi on the loose, whereabouts unknown. And as if that weren't enough, Holly Short, his second-in-command, was partially responsible for this situation and Internal Affairs was once again breathing down his neck because of it. And now there was this coup de gras, with his lead technical adviser telling him that he should be taking suggestions from a Mudman, a kidnapper at that.

"Foaly, prepare a shuttle. I'm going up to meet with Fowl in person."  
________________________________________

**Fowl Manor**

The mansion itself sat upon a small hill overlooking the surrounding landscape. Fowl Manor had originally been built as a castle, and still maintained the original guard towers and walkways. For many centuries it had withstood war, politics, civil turbulence, tax audits, and even a fairy siege, but now the manor was about to face a threat that would have been inconceivable (and frankly ludicrous) to its original designers.

As it would happen, a large Eurasian man was moving along the walkways of the grounds. Perhaps the term "giant" would be more apt to describe him. Towering at about 6'7", the man could intimidate just about anyone seeking to trespass on the grounds. Those that were foolish enough to try would learn just why the Butlers were considered to be among the world's greatest bodyguards.

Ever since his and Artemis's first engagement with the fairies some years before, Butler had been sure to keep an eye out for the slight shimmer in the air made by a fairy's shield when it became invisible. So it was no surprise to anyone, except perhaps the unfortunate fairy in question, when Butler immediately drew his handgun upon seeing a tell-tale shimmer.

"I know you're there, so you might as well come on out," he called. Immediately, the shielded fairy stopped his vibrating and came into view.

"Still as sharp as always, Mudman," Trouble said. Their first meeting had been something that the Commander of the LEP would never forget. After all, when you get your ** handed to you by a seven foot tall Mudman, you tend to remember it.

"Commander," Butler acknowledged. Trouble Kelp was a soldier just like him. Even though they had been forced into being adversaries the first time they had met, they shared an unspoken understanding with one another, almost like the one he'd had with Root.

"I need to speak with Fowl." Trouble was clear and to the point.

"He's in the study with Holly and Juliet. They should be doing another conference with No.1 and Foaly," Butler said, knowing that the fairies had long since had accurate blueprints of Fowl Manor. They'd had them since the first engagement, so he knew the Commander would be able to find his own way.

Trouble nodded and took that as his invitation to proceed, or he would have.

Four loud thuds sounded behind them, followed by a loud roar that pierced the air, something that all but one of the occupants of Fowl Manor had heard before. It was followed by three more savage bellows and the sound of reinforced gates being ripped from their hinges. Butler dared a glance in the direction of the gate, and his heart sunk. Four hulking, shaggy beasts stood there, tusks swaying ominously as they moved.

Trolls. The single thought ran through the bodyguard's mind. It was something that he would never be able to forget. He had nearly been killed by a troll when Artemis had kidnapped Holly in their first meeting. But that had been only a single troll. Now there were four of them bearing down on the manor.  
Butler and Trouble took off almost immediately. They rushed blindly towards the main doors of the manor, bursting through and closing them a few moments later. "Butler…what was that…?" Holly's voice filtered from upstairs.

"Trolls," Butler replied and he could almost see the color in Holly's face drain away. Butler rapidly ascended the stairs as Holly came down. They were going to have to make a stand.  
The two fairies exchanged brief glances. Both were veterans of countless fights, but this was different. Only Holly had faced down this many trolls before at once. During Opal's last appearance. Together Holly and the Commander shielded and activated their wings, flying down to ground level.

Butler entered into the weapons storage closet and drew out several flash bangs and several more clips of ammo for his Sig Sauer. As he left he heard the crash from downstairs, the sound of the front door being smashed into splinters. The bodyguard rushed down the hall, hearing the sound of neutrinos blasting away. The two fairies were already battling it out.

Down below, Holly and Trouble had begun to fire through the doorway as soon as the first troll had burst through. The lead troll had been hit by shot after shot, but still came through, followed by his bloodthirsty buddies. The trolls raised their shaggy heads and sniffed the air, nostrils dilating. They appeared to be trying to detect the scents of the humans, trying to find out where all of their prey was hiding.

One of the neutrino shots caught the fur of one of the trolls, which immediately began to smoke. The burnt stench filled the air.

The disoriented trolls looked around. Beneath the odor of burning troll, the entire house smelled like humans and elves. They were close—every primal instinct the animals had told them that much at the very least. Their prey was the trolls were bombarded with neutrino shots, their tiny brains could barely formulate what was attacking them. Something was just appearing out of nowhere and striking them. They were confused. What would dare to strike them, and where was it? All four roared in unison and began to charge straight ahead, their tusks slicing through anything that happened to get in their way. Four massive, flailing bodies lumbered through the entrance hall of Fowl Manor.

Butler arrived at the top of the stairs just in time to see the start of the charge, which happened to be right in the direction of the two shielded fairies. He didn't waste any more time, and deftly tossed down two metal canisters, which landed right in-between the fairies and the trolls. The fairies would be protected by their nanofiber suits. The trolls on the other hand…would not be quite so lucky.  
Trolls are an old race of fairy that evolved to be subterraneous long before the rest of their fairy brethren were forced belowground by the humans. They have a natural aversion to light and are often found in the underground tunnels. So when Butler threw down the flash bag, he was throwing down the one thing that troll DNA had never been able to adapt to.

The pair of canisters exploded upon impact, each unleashing a brilliant flash of light in front of the trolls. The LEP officers were protected by their helmets, which automatically filtered out the light and the sound, but the trolls were blinded and deafened by the pair of bombs.

Butler was naturally the first to take advantage of the situation. He pulled out his Sig Sauer and began firing at the lead troll. The bullets landed within an inch of each other. Butler knew from his first encounter that this wouldn't do much, but it should be enough to stun the creature momentarily. He was right. The troll staggered back from the elves and into its own kind. One of its gargantuan tusks slashed a fellow bull along the torso, causing the second creature to shriek in pain. The injured troll's cries soon died out however, as the sedative located on the tusks of all trolls began to have an effect. The bull eventually slumped down, no longer putting up a fight.

Holly watched in amazement as two of the trolls fell within seconds, thanks to Butler. She knew she would have to thank him, again, once this was all over. Once again he had arrived to save the day. But as the others began to recover, a creeping sensation began to come over her and her neck prickled. It was the feeling she got when she was running low on her magic. When one of the recovered trolls suddenly looked straight at her, its yellow eyes gleaming with vicious intent, Holly knew that she was no longer shielded.

"D'Arvit."

**AREA 11**

"Lelouch! Stop right there!"

A young man turned at the sound of the voice calling out to him. "Aw...but Professor Villetta, surely you don't want me to make up those classes now," he protested.

The woman stopped in the hallway, hands on her hips. "You're not getting away with it this time...Hey, get back here!" she cried and began chasing after Lelouch, who had taken off running.  
The other kids laughed as Lelouch raced down the hallway with Villetta hot on his heels. "Go vice prez!" a few called out to him as he passed, before he finally ducked into the chemistry room and swiftly moved to the other side.

An instant later Villetta was standing in the doorway, staring at him with what seemed to be a triumphant smile pasted across her lips. "You lost," she began, "the moment you turned this into a contest of physical strength and speed."

Lelouch smiled nonchalantly back at her. "Aren't you overreacting a bit, Miss Villetta? Isn't this just about missing a P.E. Class?"

"No! Quit cutting class, or else I'll—"

"I have more than enough school credits to pass, don't I?" Lelouch interrupted. Then he grinned, his finger tipping over one vial of chemicals into another. An orange cloud erupted, quickly filling the room and obscuring everything from sight. "Don't worry, it's just smoke!" Lelouch called back as he ran out the door and down the hallway.  
________________________________________

**Last Sanctuary –Council Chamber  
**  
A voice resonated throughout the small chamber, small and inhuman. "So, are we agreed?" Other voices murmured in discontented assent, but one, deeper than the others, spoke out.

"Fine, you have shown us that we have no other alternatives. The humans will find us in less than ten years. We need time and there is no one left to stop them."

A woman's voice rang out. "What about this human called Zero?"

"He is dead or missing. Either way he can't help us now. He showed promise...but we need a little outside assistance," the first voice replied. "With your consent the ritual will begin in an hour."  
"Fine."

**Fowl Manor**

Holly was in trouble. The only things standing between her and the venom-dripping tusks of two enraged trolls were the neutrino in her hand and a few yards. Not a comforting thought. She didn't want to do this, but she was out of other options. She raised the neutrino, sighted carefully, and fired two shots.

The trolls wouldn't have a chance to know what happened. The neutron beams scorched through each troll's eyes and into their brains. The poor trolls never really had a chance. It took a minute for their bodies to realize it, but soon the pair of monsters crumbled to the ground.

Holly holstered her neutrino quickly as Commander Kelp appeared beside her. "Are you alright?" he asked, before looking at the unlucky pair of trolls and swearing. "D'Arvit! That's going to mean a lot of paperwork."

"Wasn't much of a choice, sir. If those trolls got past us.....Well, paperwork would be the least of our worries. Where the hell did they come from, anyway?"

"Well, when a mommy troll and a daddy troll...." crackled a horsy voice over her helmet speakers.

"NOT NOW, FOALY!" Holly and Trouble yelled in applause echoed from the top of the stairs as a young man stepped out into view.

"Excellent coordination. I must commend you." The fairies didn't even have to look up to know the speaker. They knew his voice by this point.

"A lot of help you were, Mudboy." Trouble retorted.

"I thought you would know by now that physical altercations are not my forte, Commander." Artemis snorted. "I digress. I believe I can provide a reasonable explanation to Captain Short's query." He paused.

"Out with it Artemis." Holly said impatiently.

"The answer is quite obvious, Captain," he replied, and his mismatched eyes seemed to gleam in humor.

"Artemis, if you think you know who it was, then say it already." A giant Eurasian man spoke from behind. Artemis scowled.

"Very well then. I thought it would be plain as day, but perhaps I was simply overestimating your cognitive abilities."

"Opal." Trouble growled. His statement was greeted with more slowly deliberate applause.

"Very good Commander, two gold stars." Artemis smirked. "Or would you prefer a smiley face instead?"

"How about a neutrino shot to a condescending Mudboy?" Trouble shot back.

Artemis raised his hands placatingly. "Alright, enough fun. Yes, Opal Koboi sent those trolls, in all likelihood. The method of delivery, however, remains a mystery. Magic, perhaps?"

"Doubtful, Mudboy. The amount of magical power needed to transport four angry trolls would more than drain a dozen demon warlocks, let alone Opal," Foaly's voice crackled over the intercom. "A much more mundane method would be most practical."

The sound of a keyboard clattering filled the air. "Got it. I hacked the Big Eye in the sky, and it looks like she just shoved them out of a cloaked shuttle. Classic. I can't seem to find the shuttle now, though."

"Great, so now we have a homicidal pixie running around in a cloaked shuttle, which is apparently equipped with a full set of trolls. How could this day get any better?" Holly asked.

"Oi! Arty!" a voice called out. "Did you realize that you were out of..." There was a pause mid-sentence as the short stocky figure walked out from the kitchen. "Whoa...I think you need a new interior designer."

"Mulch." Holly sighed. "Great, just great."

*END CHAPTER ONE*


	2. Chapter 2: Convergence

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor claim to own any character, term, or place from these stories. They are the respective properties of their copyright holders. I am simply writing this as a fan for a non-profit exercize to enjoy writing. I am not going to claim to be completely true to the characters all the time but I will try to be as close as possible most of the time. Also methods used to bring them together may not be completely original but I ask for a bit of leeway.

* * *

Chapter 2: Convergence

**Area 11**

The look on the man's face betrayed his deep sense of shock. "The black king lost" echoed from several places amid the crowd of spectators.

"Looks like you are the one that has been devoured." Lelouch said with a confident smile on his face.

"Damn, that's inconvenient. How will I ever be able to show my face in public if word of this gets around?" the man opposite him asked, cracking a pair of nuts in his hand.

"I would never spread rumors." Lelouch said immediately.

"No, school boy, not that," the man drawled, leaning back in his seat. "I mean that others will hear how you, a mere child, came here and cheated me." Almost immediately there was a protest from the audience. How could someone cheat in chess? "I will just have to teach you a lesson."

Lelouch was rising to his feet when a pair of bulky men grabbed a hold of him; one forced an arm behind his back, the other slammed him down onto the table. He was saved by the sound of an explosion from the top of the tower, one that seemed to cause the entire tower to shake.

"Terrorists?" the man began to say. He was interrupted when a girl dressed in a bunny suit quickly jumped into the air, knocking him out with a deft spin and kick to the side of the head. She reached out to grab Lelouch, to pull him away with her, but the crowd came between them and Lelouch was already retreating with his brother Rolo.

________________________________________

**Last Sanctuary**

"Is the ritual ready to begin?" An impatient voice asked.

"The preparations are almost complete, sir." A second, squeakier voice replied.

"Please hurry. We need a hero to stop these humans," the first voice insisted.

"Sir, are you sure this is the correct path? After all, we are not sure what we will get from this method. We may very well bring our damnation just as surely as we could our salvation." A third voice said nervously.

"If we bring about damnation now, what will we have really changed? This is our last hope. It has to work," the first voice replied.

A figure moved slowly but deliberately, setting the last stones into place and lighting the fire at the center. "Sir…we are ready to begin."

"Call in the warlocks, tell them to begin the ritual."

________________________________________

**Fowl Manor**

Butler and Trouble had set to work dealing with the remaining trolls, keeping them under a very heavy sedation. They didn't want one of them to wake up and start the whole fiasco again, right?

Mulch, Artemis, and Holly had all returned upstairs, where Artemis and Foaly collaborated on their theories for stopping Opal. Holly had tried to listen and follow along, but she found herself often getting lost in the technical discussions. After a good bit of trying, she had just given up, and now looked over distastefully at Mulch, who was busy cleaning sandwich bits out of his tombstone shaped molars.

"Foaly, can you try tracking Opal by where she is not?" Artemis asked.

"How do you mean Mudboy?" the centaur replied.

"Like Holly and I did, back in the tunnels of E-1."

"Not as long as she remains on the surface. Even belowground I don't have the time or resources to make sure that every tunnel is full of sensors."

"Good to know we have a lazy technical adviser." Artemis commented.

"Now just hold on a minute Mudboy..." Foaly started, only to be interrupted by Holly.

"Enough, both of you! This is not the time for you two to bicker about your egos," Holly said, annoyed.

"Now, Foaly what exactly do you have?"

________________________________________

**Last Sanctuary**

"Our sources say that the ritual is beginning now, mistress," a low voice hissed into the darkness.

"Yes, yes. I am aware of that. The council members are fools to try it, but they think that it is their only hope," a female voice replied. As she spoke, a light turned on, revealing a rather plump looking individual seated in a large, throne-like chair.

"What are you orders?" the first voice asked.

The seated figure thought about it for a second. "Send one of the goblins. Tell him that he will not be harmed if he jumps into the center of the magical pit, and that he will be well rewarded."

"It will be done, mistress." the first voice said.

"Those fools must not be allowed to complete the ritual."

***

In the center of a chamber, a large fire raged as brightly as a star. Its flickers reflected off the walls and illuminated the faces of the kneeling warlocks, whose chanting echoed throughout room and increased in intensity with each syllable. There were two dozen of the warlocks, all arranged around the pit in two circles. A pair of fairies hovered in the air above them and watched intently.

"Well you got what you wanted, Julius," one said.

The fire cast dark shadows over the face of the other, an aging fairy with a rather large gut. "Not what I wanted, what The People needed," the one named Julius corrected.

"Either way, Julius, it certainly is making it easier for you to get a higher position on the Council."

"Briar, you are one of the only LEP officers I know who actually wants a seat on the Council."

Briar's smile faded just a hair, but was fixed so quickly Julius wasn't quite sure if it had even happened at all. "So what do you think we are going to get?"

"To be honest I don't know." Julius gruffed out. "There are just too many variables involved. Let's just hope we don't unintentionally draw out our doom."

________________________________________

**Area 11**

The raucous sounds of explosions and screaming filled the air, even as Lelouch moved through some of the construction area. He had been separated from his brother Rolo and was desperately trying to find a way back out. Lelouch paused, doubled over, his lungs demanding him to stop. Through a door, he could hear the sound of a small baby crying, and slowly made his way over to it, trying to get the pounding of his heartbeat to stop drowning out his ears.

The scene he was greeted with was one that would scar even the most hardened of war veterans. Men, women, children, civilians all, carpeted the ground, their bodies riddled with bullet holes. Their blood had already spread across the floor, creating a slick surface. Lelouch gagged and sank down to one knee, covering his mouth.

"Who could have done this?" he asked.

________________________________________

**Last Sanctuary**

Scalene's tongue leaped out of his mouth, running briefly along his eyeball. The elves were distracted and the warlocks busy casting the spell. Excellent. Only a few minutes before, he had been restrained in the LEP headquarters, but luckily for him, he had been set free by a mysterious stranger. He was told that the hidden one, the ally of the goblins, would reward him greatly for disrupting this ritual. All he had to do to get that reward was run and jump into the center of the spell circle.

The concept of "too good to be true" is far beyond the comprehension of any goblin mind. They are among the dumbest creatures above or below the earth. And of course nature had decided that these creatures above all others needed to have the ability to create fire.

As two LEP officers moved out of the way Scalene decided it was his time to move. He surged forward quickly.

The alarm went off just a moment too late. The two LEP officers turned to see a goblin rush past them and jump down towards the center pot, right towards the fuel for the spell being cast. "NO!" one cried impulsively. But there was nothing that could be done.

The goblin landed in the fire with a triumphant smile on its face. Unfortunately its stupidity had finally cost it its life. Normally, goblins are immune to fire and heat. This time, though, there was simply too much for it to handle. And even as the realization sank in that he had been tricked, it was far too late for the goblin general to do anything about it. Instead all that could be heard was a loud tortured scream and then silence.

________________________________________

**Fowl Manor**

There was still a general disagreement among the group of four about how to approach the situation with Opal Koboi. Artemis's plan was still an option, but with Koboi now in possession of a cloaked shuttle, it was a little harder for everyone to agree to it.

Artemis was sitting between Holly and Mulch to keep the two from bickering, while he continued to discuss options with Foaly. The group often heard the frantic tapping of keys and the occasional crunch of a carrot as the centaur did more research.

Eventually, Artemis rose to his feet and took a step back, pushing in his chair slowly. "Let's take a break," he said. He had read both Holly and Mulch's expressions. They couldn't keep these efforts up for much longer, especially since they were still going nowhere. Holly sent him a grateful look and scooped up her helmet, sealing it on her head.

But their break was not to be. Even as Mulch and Holly began to head to the doorway, they could hear Foaly's typing stop suddenly. "Ar..." the Centaur stammered.

The pair spun around to see their newly disembodied friend. Artemis was mostly gone—only an outstretched arm was left and that was fading fast already, being pulled somewhere. Holly was the first to reach where he had been and grabbed a hold of his arm. "Artemis!" she cried out, yanking with all her strength but starting to lose ground. And even as she felt Mulch's arm around her, pulling on both her and Artemis, she could feel her own body fading away as well.

Foaly could only watch in horror as his three friends were dragged away, roped in by an unknown force. Soon they had vanished completely, leaving only a few sparks of excess magic flying about the empty room. Foaly's cries alerted Butler and Trouble to the terrible event. But the three were already gone.

________________________________________

**Unknown  
**  
Artemis tingled. He was only dimly aware of his own body at the moment. He could feel an iron vice-like grip on his wrist. Artemis forced his eyes open and was greeted by the sight of a swirling vortex of colors around him and...Holly. He turned his head to look at her, and he could clearly see the elf, the dwarf still holding onto her. He tried to speak but no words seemed to come out. Holly looked at him and shook her head as if to say, don't speak.

Around them the environment began to change. The colors began to solidify until only a few remained. He could feel heat on his face and could see what appeared to be purple flames, though nothing seemed to be quite solid yet. 'Must be where we are being taken' Artemis managed to think as sound began to reach him. A person was speaking in a haughty voice. Artemis visualized a pompous, mustached man in a suit.

"Boy, I'll have you know that I am a Baron. I won't be wasting words on insignificant bait like you. Now to dispose of you. And there won't be any witnesses left?"

There was a second voice but it was a barely audible whisper, and definitely not understandable.

________________________________________

**Area 11**

Lelouch stared up at the O.S.I. Commander. 'Why does it have to end like this?' he wondered to himself. "Is this...the end for me?" he queried out loud. "Without even knowing why?"

His thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly felt a pair of lips against his own. A moment later a woman's voice sounded, ethereal, in his head. "You desire power?" it asked. Could it be the girl that had been shot?

"You already possess the power you seek. It's merely imprisoned in the cage of amnesia. Remember...Remember who you really are...remember Geass...remember the power of the king...NOW let the seal be BROKEN!"

________________________________________

**Unknown**

Everything was becoming more solid. The heat from the fires was almost unbearable. He could see what looked like a group of soldiers surrounding some large machine. A boy he hadn't seen before was rising up in-between him and the soldiers. A woman with unnaturally green hair moved out of the boy's arms and stood up also.

"Before you dispose of me, I'd like you to answer a question," the voice came from the boy in a school uniform.

Several of the soldiers began to murmur. "That girl's still alive!" or "Impossible! She was shot through the heart!"

"If being powerless is so terribly wrong, then does having power make you right? Do you find vengeance evil? What is your value of friendship? Is it justice?" The student demanded from the soldiers.

Artemis was lying on what felt like a concrete floor. Both Holly and Mulch were next to him, also watching the scene. They had yet to be spotted, but who knew how long that could last. Where were they?

________________________________________

**Area 11**

Lelouch was oblivious to the three newcomers behind him as were the soldiers. All the eyes were on him alone as the commander spoke once more.

"There is no justice or evil. The only truth that's left to bait like you is the simple reality of death."

Lelouch let a soft smirk touch his lips before he spoke again. "I see. Then why do you hesitate? I am just a student after all. And she is just a girl. Or have you realized it? That the only ones who should kill are those prepared to be killed?!" Anger began to creep into his voice, overriding it completely as he continued. "I, Lelouch Vi Britannia, command you…all of you…die!"

The order was followed by a quick "It can't be...!" which was soon cut off as the soldiers began to direct their guns against each other. "Yes, my lord!" they chorused, before each trigger was pulled.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own either Code Geass or Artemis Fowl.

* * *

******Chapter 3: The Demon, the Fairies, and the Hero**

****

**Area 11**

Artemis stood shocked. What had just happened? Never before had he seen anything like this. Men following an order to kill themselves without hesitation or comment? They had just said 'Yes, my lord' and shot themselves. What type of magic could compel men to do such a thing? As of right now it turned out that this would be the least of his worries. A second later a large humanoid machine came crashing down through the ceiling. Kneeling, it spoke in a filtered mechanical voice. "We are waiting for your orders, master Zero."

Plates shifted on the head of the Knightmare, revealing its sensors. "What shall we do with the intruders behind you, Lord Zero?" Lelouch and C.C. spun around, staring at the three unusual figures behind them. A young man, a head shorter than most his age, stood behind them, an expression of slight shock on his face. With his raven hair and mismatched blue and hazel eyes, he looked neither Eleven nor Britiannian. Next to the boy, grasping his hand, was a short figure. She was only three feet tall at most, but hidden behind a hi-tech suit she had the fit curves of an active young woman. An opaque helmet concealed her features. Finally, the smallest figure, a round, hairy thing that seemed to have far too many large teeth, was trying to hide behind the boy.

"Who are you?" barked Lelouch, his face contorting with anger.

"I beg your pardon for dropping in like this, Lelouch vi Britannia. I am Artemis Fowl." The dark haired boy smiled, wiping the troubled expression off his face with practiced ease. The Knightmare trained its large gun on him. Artemis blinked.

"How....hostile.... I come in peace. Against my will, in fact. Where are we?"

Lelouch watched the stranger, considering what to do with him. As he was the only one who had actually spoken, Lelouch was able to deduce that the boy was the leader of the small group. "Area 11." Artemis looked blank. "Formerly known as Japan."

"Ah. Yet you are speaking English." Artemis studied the boy known as Lelouch. He was tall, nearly Butler's height, but with a thin, almost stretched appearance. In fact, all the other recently deceased men were of similar height, or taller, although they were more muscular. 'Interesting, it seems humans have developed differently here...' Lelouch's eyes were a shade of deep violet, and far larger in proportion to his face than Artemis was used to.

"Britannian," corrected Lelouch. "Britannians conquered this land several years ago." He scowled. "They gave these once-proud people numbers, and took away their heritage, all in the name of evolution and power."

"Humans and their mad ideas." Holly snorted. Her high voice seemed to jolt C.C. out of a trance.

"A Fairy?" she murmured. "Then the smelly one is a...."

"A dwarf, thank you very much, Miss

Green Hair." Mulch answered. Then shock seemed to strike him and Holly at the same time. She knows. 'How does she know?' They shared the same thoughts for once, though Holly would have needed to take a very long cold shower had she been aware of that fact.

"What are you talking about?" Lelouch asked.

"There are secrets in this world even older than humans and Geass, Lelouch." C.C. replied. She bowed low to Holly. "It is an honor to meet a member of the Fair Folk."

Silence reigned. Finally, Mulch asked, in a small voice, "Is there anywhere we could talk about this away from creepy purple fire?"

"Fine. But first..." Lelouch's left eye seemed to glow, and a stylized red bird formed inside it. "I, Lelouch vi Britannia, command you to never harm nor conceal information from myself, Zero, or the Black Knights!"

Artemis's eyes seemed to glow red for an instant, but then blue sparks of magic crackled from his hazel eye and into his blue one, purging the red glow. He blinked. "Nice try, Lelouch. But it seems I am immune."

C.C. cuffed Lelouch in the back of the head. "Idiot. He is a friend of the Fair Folk, and I know that they have no love for the Britannian Empire."

"Quite right. As a matter of fact, I am quite fond of Japanese culture, and I detest any organization that would destroy it with impunity." Artemis murmured.

Lelouch nodded curtly. "Very well. You may be a useful ally. An immunity to Geass..." he smirked. It was quite disturbing to see his expression become almost demonic. "Very useful indeed...Follow me."

**

* * *

**

Last Sanctuary – Ritual Chamber

"How was that even possible?" roared Root, his horrid cigar quaking in his rage. "That....goblin....ruined any chance our race had of survival!"

"I...I....It just ran past! We had no time to react!" replied the newly demoted Sub-Private Berry. The trembling elf stood at smart attention, fear etched across his face.

A voice boomed from within the chamber. "Perhaps all is not lost, Councilman Root." Root rounded on the approaching figure clad in ceremonial robes. "We had already finished the summoning spell, and were guiding the hero here when the intruder interrupted us. He, or she, is in this world. We need only hope that they arrived in one piece.... and not in solid stone. We will find them, Councilman. Our world relies on it." The warlock bowed, and rushed away to escape the fury of Councilman Root, who was now seeking a fresh target.

"Who sent the goblin?" Root growled. "Why would they do this? I have my enemies, yes, but everyone knows that what we are doing is desperately needed." He swore. "D'Arvit! Why does it have to be me? I shouldn't have taken this damnable post!" Root sighed, and seemed to deflate, leaving an old, sad, tired fairy. "Dammit Short. Why'd you have to die on me?"

**

* * *

**

Area 11

Holly stood next to Artemis, in what looked like the security room of a human mall. Behind an array of glowing television screens, Lelouch occupied the single seat and debriefed those who were there of the situation. Mulch, who was standing on the other side of Artemis, looked much relieved to be away from the purple flames. Dwarves, being subterranean creatures, did not like the sun and especially not fire.

"Nice digs." Mulch said, looking around the room and already searching for anything of value that wasn't nailed down. "Pity you don't have cable though. You would not believe some of the channels I had access to when I lived in L.A." He giggled.

"Shut up criminal." Holly barked. "Or I'll take a stun baton to your hind quarters."

"Whoa." Mulch waved his hands. "Channeling Julius there much?"

Lelouch looked at Artemis as the two fairies bickered. "Are they always like this?"

Artemis shrugged. "You should see them when Foaly is around."

"Foaly?"

"A Centaur, almost as smart as me."

"A point he would contest very loudly." Mulch chimed in. "Horsey boy likes to toot his own horn almost as much as Artemis here."

"Foaly!" Holly cried. "Why didn't I think of it before?! Even if we have been moved off somewhere unknown, I should still be able to get in touch with New Haven or the Lower Elements!"

She activated her com. "This is Captain Holly Short, calling LEP Command, come in Command."

Almost immediately a voice replied. "This is LEP Command, repeat your designation."

"Captain Holly Short, Id. Number 8309254, calling for backup."

The voice snorted. "Get off the air, kid. We know you're lying. Private Short died in the line of duty twenty years ago. Now I'd suggest you just neatly dispose of your stolen LEP helmet and stop trying to prank us. You should know now's not the time."

Holly grew paler and paler as she heard the voice. With trembling hands she removed her helmet, revealing teary eyes. "I'm dead here. I died in this universe."

**

* * *

  
****Last Sanctuary- LEP Headquarters**

**  
**Councilman Root made it a habit of dropping by the Officer's Mess of LEP Command quite often. He claimed it was for 'troop morale' but in his heart, he knew it was because he missed the old place. He had spent many happy decades here as he worked his way up to Commander of the Lower Elements Police. As he walked in the door, he was greeted by a roar of laughter.

"....and she said she was Captain Short! Isn't that rich? She'd have had to live in a hole not to know Short was dead."

Root stopped dead, his usually red face growing ashen. "Short?" he murmured. She had saved his life, taking the flame blasts of half a dozen goblin terrorists in order to protect his life. It was her sacrifice that had finally opened the LEP to full gender equality. Holly Short was, in every way Root could fathom, a heroine of the highest caliber, and a dear friend. "Where are the tapes?" He barked.

No one laughed. Nobody had heard him enter. The speaker, a sprite lieutenant by the name of Chix Verbil, froze. "On file, sir, under Pranks."

Root stormed out, bellowing for Foaly.

***

It took next to no time for Root to reach the familiar laboratory that the centaur technician called home. Foaly hadn't changed much in the years that Root had known him, save for a long scar that traced down his left hind leg, gained in the same battle that had killed Holly Short. Foaly had grown grimmer and more determined in the past twenty years. It was a change for the better, Root thought, but he missed the old Foaly on occasion

.

Root reached for the door, but it opened for him.

"Well, Julius, what do you need today?" Foaly asked, getting straight to the point.

"I need the tapes from earlier today." Root replied in an even tone. "And hello to you too, Foaly."

Foaly had been monitoring the human networks, which were covering some kind of an ongoing terrorist attack at a place called Babel tower in Area 11. He turned at the strange request with an arched eyebrow, but when he saw the look on Root's face he knew better than to argue with the Councilman. "Very well. What are we looking up today?" Foaly asked as he turned in his seat once again to begin tapping furiously on his keyboard.

"A call came in earlier that was placed under Pranks."

"You know, normally a Prank call doesn't require the attention of a Councilman." Foaly said, bringing up the folder. There was only one new addition today.

"Open it." Root said. Foaly did.

Holly's voice blared from the speakers. Both centaur and fairy were stunned into complete silence. The brief recording ended and the computer exited out for Foaly. "I…It...c...can't be..." Foaly stammered. Root's horrid cigar had fallen from his lips at the sound of the familiar voice. They had both known Holly and had considered her a dear friend. Although Foaly had been the only one to let Holly know that before she had died. "I…I'll run a voice analysis." Foaly said shakily, the keyboard already clattering.

"No!" Root managed to bark out. "Run a trace. I want to know exactly where that call came from."

"But Julius...we don't..." Foaly protested

"It is Short, Foaly." Root insisted.

Foaly stopped protesting but instructed his computer to run a voice analysis with known recordings of Holly Short, while he began to furiously work on the source. "Okay, got it." Foaly paused. "You're not going to like this." Foaly said, moving out of the way of the screen.

Root moved closer, leaning in to get a better look. Words flashed across the screen. "Babel Tower, Area 11." Root turned to Foaly. "What's so bad about that?"

Foaly flicked the volume up one of the human television stations. "Now reporting from the crisis at Babel Tower. We have as of yet, unconfirmed reports of terrorist activities in and around the tower. It is possible that they are remnants of the Black Knights," a human babe of a reporter was saying.

"Oh." Root said. "That is bad."

**

* * *

**

**Area 11**

Lelouch sat gazing up at the monitors formulating his strategy. He had been given an amazing break it seemed. The O.S.I. didn't seem to share information with the regular soldiers who he was now up against, so at least that was one bit of good news.

The memories were still flooding over him. He had just remembered when Suzaku brought him before his father. He'd had everything stolen from him twice by that man now. He would not fail again. "C.C." He said.

"Don't even think it. I'm not the one who gave him his Geass."

Artemis looked puzzled. "You two keep referring to this Geass. What is it?" he asked, moving up. Holly was still shaken up and was in the corner coming to grips with what she had been told. Oddly the one comforting her was Mulch.

"This is not the time or the place to discuss Geass." Lelouch said calmly as the building blueprints were uploaded. A wicked smile began to cross his lips. "So now we have the board."

Artemis took a seat next to Lelouch. Now the Britannian was speaking his language. "How about a game then?" Artemis smiled too, a vampire's grin.

**

* * *

**

**Area 11- Streets**

There was chatter through the comms of the Britannians.

"Contact lost with Sir Emilio," one said.

Viceroy Calares was dumb struck. How could this be happening to his people?

"Change the IFF codes." he ordered.

"We have sir, five times." One of the operators sitting at the side of the command vehicle said.

"Oritz Unit wiped out." another one said.

"What are you doing?" Calares demanded. "Just who the hell are we up against here?"

**

* * *

**

**Last Sanctuary**

"What are the Britannians saying over their comms?" Root demanded from Foaly.

"Sir, I am getting so much chatter that it reminds me of what happened at Shinjuku." Foaly replied. "The Britannians are in disarray and are getting beaten."

Root nodded grimly at the mention of Shinjuku. He still could not get all of the horrific images from the last war out of his mind. That Princess Massacre for one. Who could ever forget that? Even though no fairies had been in the area, it had been a vivid reminder of why they could never be found by the humans.

The video switched on, a great number of televisions showing the building from earlier. Already smoke was rising from the top of the building. "Live from Babel tower! Earlier today terrorists seized the building in a hostile take over. As we speak, Britannian forces have moved in and surrounded the building." The camera zoomed out, showing hundreds of ships closing in. From the air, Knightmares landed on the roof, while from below, a line of vehicles blocked the only road leading up to the building itself.

"Holly, please don't be in there." Root prayed as he looked over at the monitors.

**

* * *

**

**Area 11**

"There are thousands of them. What do we do? We can't beat back that many!" The frantic voices of several Black Knights suddenly rose up over the radios. Lelouch smiled at the information coming in.

"Seems like Viceroy Calares has arrived." he said. Artemis nodded.

"With this much force they are probably making this a media event." Artemis added. "After all, why bring so much force to bear unless you intend to crush your opponent? If you're going to all the effort, you should make sure that everyone knows what you're doing." he concluded.

Lelouch nodded and smiled. "It's a straight-forward attack though, and easily read. Escape will be difficult and that's why we are going to win." He turned away from Artemis and brought up the comm.

"C.C., how long until you have finished preparations?"

It was a moment until C.C. came back on. "I need 10 minutes."

"Very well, I'll get one of the Knightmares and take it up to the lobby. The Black Knights and I will make our stand to buy you time."

"We're coming." Holly's voice came from behind the pair of boys. She stood there holding her helmet under her arm, her mismatched eyes staring at them. She was still shaken up from her conversation, but there was a fight to be waged, a battle to be won. Lelouch nodded. "Artemis will have to ride in his own frame, but I think you two might be able to pilot one together." Lelouch motioned between Holly and Mulch. The pair of them shared a look and both of them groaned as they realized they would soon be locked into a confined space with each other.

**

* * *

**

**Last Sanctuary – Foaly's Lab**

"D'Arvit!" Root swore. "I can't just leave her there. I'm going to get her."

"Julius, you can't! You know we don't allow overland flights without Council permis...Oh."

Root smirked, and lit another cigar. "You're damn right, Foaly. Good thing I'm on the Council, eh?" he took an official tone. "According to Emergency Council Bylaws, I officially assume temporary emergency powers to protect the welfare of all Fairies. I swear on my magic to do what I feel is best for our People." Blue sparks flew around Root in a quick shower of light.

"That's all well and good and everything, but you need a suit don't you?" Foaly grinned. "Good thing I've been working on something." He clopped over to a workbench, and took a simple suit off of it. "Put it on, Supreme Overlord, we don't have much time."

It was a matter of moments before Root was dressed in the new suit. "It doesn't seem different, Foaly. Is this the one that I vetoed that had the wet bar?"

Foaly shook his head. "I get no respect. This particular suit uses nanomuscles and biofeedback to increase physical strength by a factor of ten, and will repel most human and fairy weapons. Don't break it, it's my only prototype."

Root grunted. "I'll keep that in mind." he grabbed a pair of Dragonfly Omega wings, and holstered a Neutrino 5000 to his belt. Root glanced at Foaly before putting his helmet on. "If I don't come back, I just want you to know it's been a good run, horse-breath."

Foaly nodded. "Same to you, Julius. Bring her back. We need her."

"I will." Root walked out, then started his wings. He soared out the open doors to rescue his long lost friend.**  
**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own either series as I have said before.

I would like to thank everyone for the positive reviews that I have received and hope to continue to receive them in the progression of time. So to all those who have posted, thank you. To all those that have read this far, thank you.

Side Note made: 4-15-2010

I am terribly sorry for the delay. The next few chapters shall be posted as soon as I can find a new editor. If anyone is interested please send something to my inbox. I do reply. Again sorry for the delay.

* * *

Chapter 4: Escape from Babel Tower

**Area 11**

It was, all in all, not the worst thing Holly had ever experienced. There were far worse things than being cooped up in a humanoid war machine that stank of grease, metal, human sweat, and blood with a nervous, flatulent dwarf. It was just difficult to decide which of her experiences was worse. It didn't help that she had just learned that she was dead – at least, the her from this universe. There is something about learning that you are dead that lends a certain impact to considering one's mortality. Holly shook herself. 'Focus, Holly. Focus on driving. Focus on surviving.' That was more difficult than it seemed. While yes, the 'knightmare frame' was not hard to drive, it was much more difficult to keep from throttling her passenger. Mulch alternated between gibbering in terror and pushing every button in sight. "Just shut up and sit still and I'll get us out of here!" Holly yelled, pulling hard on her controls to avoid an enemy's Slash Harkens.

"We're gonna die!" Mulch howled.

"I already found out I was dead once today, I don't want to do it again, damn it!" Holly retorted. "now shut up or I'm kicking you out!"

Mulch shut up. Holly relaxed for a moment, and regretted it immediately. Two Slash Harkens took the arms off her Knightmare. A voice shouted over the intercom from the enemy machine. "Die, Terrorist!"

Before the Knightmare could fire its gun, the firearm was pushed away by another Slash Harken, fired by an unusual red Knightmare with a silver, claw-like arm. A young girl with red hair appeared in Holly's videocom screen. "I've got your back, go catch up with the others." She disappeared from view, and the red knightmare carved a swathe of destruction through the britannian troops as Holly rushed to her designated position.

Lelouch and Artemis' knightmares stood with another pair, one a regular one like theirs, but the other seemed to be completely black with a long sword held in its hand. "Holly are you alright?" Artemis' voice came over the comm in her cockpit.

"She will be fine, I took care of the Britannians." The voice from before came over as the red knightmare appeared once again.

"Ah! Kullen, I was wondering when you would be arriving." Lelouch said, clearly pleased at her appearance.

"Sorry I'm late, Zero.." Kullen said but was quickly cut off as another call went out on their comm system.

"This is B2. The single enemy Knightmare is..." static took the place of the speaker.

"B2 whats wrong?" Lelouch demanded.

"What's that...it was just there..." another voice said in shock.

"B2 come again, whats going on?" Lelouch repeated the question but got no response. '_Could it be an enemy with a deactivated IFF, operating on his own_?' he thought to himself.

"Zero, this is P6. The enemy is...it's.." another communication was cut off.

"P6! Come back P6." Lelouch was beginning to get desperate. Something was taking out his men and it was coming straight for him.

Urabe spoke next. "Zero, at the very least we have to get you out of here. The rest of us can move out and act as decoys, draw it away from you. Well be sacrificial pawns to the plan..so please."

"No! Your wrong, Urabe. If you consider yourselves disposable, you'll never defeat the Britannians."

"Besides, there is always another alternative for those cunning enough to use it." Artemis chimed in on the conversation.

"Another alternative?" Urabe asked.

"Captain Urabe." the voice of a couple of black knights intervened in their conversation. Artemis localized a comm with Lelouch so they could discuss his plan.

"Can you get there?" Urabe asked.

"Yes sir, the cargo loading dock right?"

"Yes it's a shortcut to this level." Urabe replied grimly.

"Confirmed."

"Okay we see it sir, It looks like a mass production prototype based on the Lancelot." Another Black Knight added.

"I see. Still this is not the time to try capturing this unit. Destroy it, quickly." Lelouch ordered.

"Understood, Lord Zero." Came the quick montonous reply. "What?! It vanished? How the hell is it over here?!" The statements were chilling through the comm made even more so by the screams that followed them.

"Hold on. Are you saying the Knightmare disappeared?" Artemis asked.

* * *

**Antarctic Sea**

The air was cold, it seemed to push its way even through the suit that was supposed to protect him. Root could feel the chill running deep into his body, down to his bones. He adjusted the internal heater in the suit, warming it up by a few more degrees. He had mostly deactivated the HUD in his helmet so that he could enjoy the thrill of flying. Almost every fairy loved to be out in the open, flying over the open ocean in a place where humans hadn't been able to mess up yet, that was his own little piece of heaven as it was for most of his kind. He still had a ways to go until he got to Area 11 and he had to shield so, he could relax and have a quiet moment to himself.

"Hey Julius." A voice echoed through his helmet. So much for peace and quiet Root thought to himself.

"What is it Foaly?" Root snapped a bit more harshly that he had meant for it to be.

"Touchy! I just thought you might be interested in seeing this."

* * *

**Area 11**

There was an explosion from deeper within the complex and a single Knightmare frame jumped out from, the smoke landing in the small courtyard. Right away what it saw was a bit of a surprise. Only 4 knightmares were around grouped around a single unit which was missing both of its arms.

Lelouch studied it. "That's the aberration!" he called out and the unit to his left moved forward quickly.

"For Zero! Long live Japan!" the cry came out from the unit as it sped forward bullets firing at the enemy knightmare, which drew a pair of swords crossing them infront of the unit. The shots went wide, but they weren't meant to hit the knightmare, just to distract it long enough for the pair behind it to get begin their charge.

It seemed to sense them a few instants before the struck, it disappeared from in front of them and reappear a moment later charging at the unit without arms. Sparks flew from the arms of both Urabe and Kullen's units. Somehow they had been damaged in their attack. "What the hell?!" Kullen's voice came through the comm.

Artemis had noticed the blue sparks from his eye. "A geass?" he said aloud, which drew attention from Lelouch.

"Another geass user?" he asked that would explain how it was able to vanish and reappear so quickly. _What could his power be? Any limitations or Restrictions? _Lelouch's mind was racing considering all of the possibilities. He didn't have long though as the machine combined the swords into a single unit and was coming straight for him. He felt the collision before he saw it. Urabe's knightmare had knocked his out of the way and had locked swords with this enemy machine.

"Urabe!" Lelouch called out to his subordinate.

"Oh..no.." Kullen said. She knew there was really no way for Urabe to get out of this situation.

"Zero..I don't care if you are a student, or whatever your background is, because I know you meant it when you said none of us were expendable. I know that every fighter we have counts..Kouzuki!" Urabe said through the comm.

"Y..Yes?!" Kullen said quickly waiting for what he had to say to her.

"Please..protect Zero. He is our last hope, and that is what our people need more than anything. Zero, deliver that hope to Japan. Save us." He said. "The four holy swords..have proven..our worth." and with that he moved his sword out of the opponents way stabbing through his own knightmare frame hitting the other one in one of its sensor nodes. A moment later, the machine exploded filling the room with smoke.

"Urabe.." Lelouch's voice came over the comm.

As the smoke cleared the other frame appeared, somewhat damaged by the explosion. "Damn..its still around." A moment later Kullen's knightmare appeared between Lelouch's and the other one.

"Now I have to make my move." Kullen said.

"I have more bad news for you, were all done here." C.C. interrupted.

Lelouch smirked. "So be it. Urabe your sacrifice will not be in vain! Hope begins now!" he said pressing the button on the detonator.

* * *

**Indian Ocean**

It was Roots worst nightmare. He watched as a series of explosions ran up the building to the airship on the top which exploded in violent fury. Then as he watched the half the building began to fall. Siding off and down towards the streets below. "Please Holly don't be in there!"

* * *

**Area 11- Streets**

Calares had never had a chance to escape. His first thoughts on the explosions had been that the terrorists were part of a suicide attack. But that was when half the building began to fall down on him. "What?! It can't b..!" There was nothing else to hear from him as hundreds of tons of concrete and steel fell onto him and his fighting force. In its last second, the command vessel managed to send a signal which changed its IFF signature to lost.

* * *

**Area 11- Britiannian Headquarters**

"The Viceroy has been killed? Where is Lord Cornwell?" An officer watching over the situation at babel tower asked.

"He was with the Viceroy." another replied.

"Then who is next in the chain of command?" A third asked.

"The minister of internal affairs." The second voice replied lacking in enthusiasm. Britiannians don't always have any particular loyalties to their superior commander but a civil servant in charge now? The thought didn't really inspire confidence.

Another voice came from behind them. "This is no time to panic." All in the command room turned to see Sir Gillford standing over them with a group of knights behind him. Each of them had served the former Viceroy, Princess Cornellia. "I am taking command. This is not a grab for political power. I swear in the name of my Princess, that this is but a temporary measure that is necessary."

The group that had been talking when he came in mumured amongst themselves. "Princess? Does he mean Cordellia?" One said.

"In that case..." another said before everyone in the room turned and saluted.

"Yes my lord." they all said in unison.

He began walking to the front of the room turning once he reached it to face his audience. "Thank you all. Now I am going to the front to direct recovery operations." He turned to a couple of those that had come with him. "Alfred you contact the police, and Bart you stay here and direct.." He was cut off by the looks on his subordinates faces.

"Is that...?" one muttered.

"What?" Gillford asked before turning to follow his gaze. His own eyes widened when he saw what was on the screen behind him.

* * *

**Over India**

Root's screen had shifted and now it seemed as though he were face to face with the one man who had nearly brought Britannia to its knees one year earlier.

"I am Zero." the man said. Three words that Root knew would change the world once again. Perhaps, he thought to himself, we might just have a chance. First Holly was brought back, and now Zero.


	5. Chapter 5

((Author's notes: The hiatus is over. Though I apologize for the delay, I hope to get back into the full story of this as quickly as possible. For now, anyone wishing to be an editor please let me know. I still need one pretty badly. Thank you for reading and enjoy the newest chapter. As always I admit that I do not own nor have any rights to any properties herein and do not claim to))

Chapter 5: Ill Bodings

Holly soared over the Alps feeling the freedom in her gut and the unadulterated joy of flying. On an impulse she flew close to one of the towering giants of a mountain and kicked a bit of snow off of its peak letting it soar of below. Every fairy loved the sky, even with the chill that came from these altitudes there was no hiding the excitement which coursed through her veins.

She took a long flight passing over the lights of Europe below observing the throngs of mudmen which had destroyed so much of this beautiful planet. Although she didn't want too, she would steer clear of Paris, not wanting to go over the bustling metropolis as she soared over Europe too high to be seen even though she was unshielded.

The time passed quickly and before long she looked down to see the waters of the English Channel far below her. She swirled a bit enjoying the cool night air. Even though the mud men had poisoned much of the earth with their behavior this was something they could never completely destroy. As she came into sight of land she switched direct adjusting to fly North West and before long came into Ireland.

Beginning her descent, she adjusted her wings and brought them into a shallow dive until she came upon a small clearing with a river snaking its way through the country side. She carefully removed her helmet and shook her locks free, stowing the helmet aside so that she would be able to rub her ears. Elfin ears were delicate things and often the skin could dry out and begin to flake. It was not uncommon for it to look like a snow fall when an LEP officer removed their helmets.

Holly took precautions against that and applied a regular moisturizer to her ear tips to keep them from drying out. Satisfied after several seconds she began to search the ground thinking the pleasant thought that she would do the tourist thing after she conducted the ritual.

Holly knelt to pick up the acorn but as soon as she did a silvery glint, reflecting the light of the moon. Holly had enough on-the-job experience to know that she was under fire and instinct took over as she rolled back to the side ducking behind a nearby tree as her mind reeled. Why was she under fire? Who could possibly be shooting at her as there shouldn't be anyone around?

She was suddenly aware of a giant figure behind her, towering over her as if she were an ant. She shifted her gaze back staring at the mountain of flesh as it spoke. "Nice pea shooter." It said wrapping a massive hand around her gun which she had instinctively drawn. She wrenched her hand free a moment before her fingers would have been snapped like twigs.

A cold voice echoed from behind her. "I don't suppose that you would be willing to simply surrender before any unpleasantries become necessary?" It asked and Holly spun around facing the Irish youth. Her eyes studied the pale youth for a moment, an image of the human movie Dracula stuck in her mind. The boy was thin, unimpressive physically, and unnaturally pale.

Holly raised her elbows readying for combat on alert.

"No," The boy sighed melodramatically. "I suppose not."

Holly felt shaken by the words a bit but put on her best brave face. "Stay back, human. You don't know what you're dealing with."

This seemed to amuse the boy as he laughed, it felt mocking to Holly as if he was mocking everything about her. "I believe, fairy, that you are the one unfamiliar with the facts."

Holly reeled suddenly taken aback by the boy's words. Her confidence melted away replaced by a steely determination. "I have magic, mud-worm. Enough to you and your gorilla into pig droppings." She threatened though it was a bluff. She had barely enough magic left after fighting the troll.

The boy took a confident step forward. "Brave words, miss. But lies nonetheless. If, as you say, you had magic, you would have no doubt used it by now. No, I suspect that you have gone too long without the Ritual and you are here to replenish your powers."

Holly was dumbstruck. There was a human before her, casually spouting of sacred secrets. Secrets that her people had guarded for millennia to avoid detection and he was throwing them in her face as if there was nothing even remotely important about them. This was disastrous. She thought. Catastrophic. It could mean the end of generations of peace. If this human was aware of a fairy subculture, it was only a matter of time before the two species went to war. She must do something, she thought.

Things suddenly shifted as if a veil, which had been held tightly over the world lifted and memories flooded over her. "Artemis." She whispered looking at the boy. "Butler." She said glancing back at the man mountain. This was where they had first met, what seemed like another life time. All of her memories with Artemis and Butler seemed to flood her mind for a second and once she had a grasp on it though the world shifted again.

All around her flames began to dance up encircling the clearing with the grass flattening out as if an invisible plane of glass had settled over it and suddenly hardened into concrete and then a red fluid seemed to pour along it spreading out. It took her only a few seconds to realize what it was and had to fight back revulsion as her eyes shifted on the bodies burning all around her. She felt sick as her eyes fell on the body of a child caught in the blaze a gunshot hole in his head. Even if they were mudmen they didn't deserve this.

In front of her Artemis shifted as well, seeming to grow taller, his hair lengthening in seconds from his normally short form to become long and covering parts of his face. His eyes blue eyes seemed to absorb the blood darkening until they were a violet shade. "It is you, Fairy." The voice reached her as the new person stood where Artemis had a moment before. "That does not know what you are dealing with." And with that everything seemed to explode around her.

**Area 11- Chinese Federation Consulate**

Holly woke with a start causing herself to fall off of the couch landing roughly on the soft carpet below. With a groan she moved to lift her body back up using the couch for leverage she rose to her feet. Taking several deep breaths to calm herself, it was a dream, she thought as she began to study the room.

Her eyes fell on the sleeping figure of Artemis who was sitting on a chair next to the couch with a small computer in his lap. She shook her head for a moment moving over to Artemis and reached to take the small computer off of his lap. To her surprise, he jerked awake as she lifted it and moved to grab her arm but then seeing who it was he released her gently.

"Holly." He said as he looked at his watch for a second and then rose up to his feet as well taking the time to look around the room.

"You shouldn't push yourself so hard Artemis." Holly scolded before moving to set the computer down on the table examining it briefly. It appeared to be simple articles. "Did you learn anything useful?" Holly asked.

"A good deal of useful information." Artemis nodded. "Where history branched off from what we know to be true and a good deal of what is going on." Artemis said.

"And what of the black knights? Can we trust them?" She asked. "Artemis be honest with me, who have we aligned ourselves with?"

Artemis glanced at her for a moment. "No, I don't think we can." He admitted. "While their cause is noble enough, the restoration of Japan to the Japanese, I am not so sure about their methods. However, we can ill afford to be making enemies right now."

"What is our plan?" Holly asked getting straight to the point.

"We have to bide our time. Whoever brought us here surely knows where we are and will be coming to make contact as soon as possible. So in order to lie low we will need to find a safe place to hide out until then. As things stand though," he said with a sigh taking a seat and resting his elbows against his chin. "We are trapped in this Consulate." He explained.

"Trapped?" Holly asked.

"Much like I was trapped in the time stop when we first met." Artemis said. "We cannot get out as the Britannian forces have completely surrounded the compound. They cannot move in without causing an international incident, which the Britannians seem unwilling to do right now and we cannot move out, safely. I thought about trying the Mesmer to get past the Britannians but there are few enough on the ground that it would be nigh on impossible to succeed unless we could somehow get eye contact." Holly nodded.

"You were able to escape us then Artemis, and I suspect that you will now." She paused looking around the room again. "Where is Mulch?"

**Area 11- Abandoned Fairy Chute**

"How long, horsey-boy?" Root growled into his mic as he tossed his pack down on the ground setting it aside for later before taking a seat on one of the benches with a sigh.

"We don't know. It depends on how long this stand-off lasts." Foaly's pacifying tone echoed through the helmet's speakers.

"D'arvit." Root cursed through clenched teeth. "What is Holly even doing in the Chinese Federation Consulate?" He growled.

"It's possible she got caught up with the Black Knights and had to escape with them and is now trapped with them, unable to get away for the same reason you can't get in." Foaly returned and Root grunted in acknowledgement. He didn't like it when the centaur was right even if it happened so often.

A silence crept over the conversation until Root heard a couple of muffled voices over the radio and tried to listen in to what was being said but it was all too inaudible to make out with any level of clarity. Root recognized one of the voices as Foaly but did not recognize the other, possibly one of Foaly's assistants.

"Julius, there's something that was just brought to my attention that you should know." Foaly said hesitantly.

"What is it?" He asked unsure what the centaur was getting at.

"Well, the warlocks asked me to crunch some numbers Julius. Transporting people even though interwoven with magic is still an exact science." Foaly explained. "The energy displacement used in transporting a gram for instance is greater than the energy displacement of transporting an atom for instance." He explained.

"Just out with it Foaly." Root grumbled, tired of the lessons already.

"Well, accounting for a couple dozen pounds in either direction, Julius, Holly should have been dropped off somewhere over the Indian Ocean."

"Something slowed her down, then?" Root said.

"Yes, according to my calculations Julius, the only way for it to land in Japan is if she had at least a hundred and fifty extra pounds with her."

Root felt the desire to chew on a cigar for a moment. "Is it possible for others to be dragged into a tunnel?"

"Julius! We are talking about an experiment with the very fabric of space-time. So much of this is unknown but the only explanation is that indeed more than one fairy was brought into the tunnel with Holly. We could have a group of our people in a best case scenario trapped on the edge of being revealed or in a worst case scenario being held hostage by the Black Knights." Root cursed under his breath as Foaly explained things.

"I will go in and get them out." Root said. "I'll be careful and shield but still try to remain unseen, using cover when available."

"No, Julius. It is too dangerous to risk. Besides there is another possibility that you may not have considered."

"And what is that?" Root demanded.

"Consider, for one, if this Holly is not the same as ours. We do not know the events of the other world, Julius and this Holly may be angry that we brought her here without her permission. There are millions of variables for this encounter and I just believe that you should attempt to be more cautious."

Root snarled. "Just you consider Foaly," he spat. "That if this Holly is every bit the heroine that ours was. We don't have a lot of choices here Foaly as we were desperate enough to use that ritual. Holly is our one chance of surviving this."

"Very well Julius, go and I will try to do what I can from here to jam signals of those news vehicles. They shouldn't read it as anything but a random EM field fluctuation, though you had best be careful as it may not fool those Knightmare frames."

"I will." Root promised and then moved to grab a hold of his wings and strapped them onto his back before heading to the elevator.

"As you go, there is something you should see." Foaly said.

**Area 11- Ashford Academy**

"Can you hear me Zero?" Guilford demanded over the TV. "Listen closely, I am Gilbert G.B. Guilford, Knight of her Royal Highness Cornelia Li Britannia. Beginning tomorrow at 1500 hours, these 256 special class-A felons, who are guilty of treason against the Empire will all be executed for their crimes.

"Zero, if you value the lives of your people then you will face me one-on-one in an honorable duel.."

_Guilford, you've really gone and done it know._ Lelouch thought as the images of the Black knights displayed on the small television in the student council room.

He looked up as the door slid open admitting Shirley into the room. Lelouch moved to lazily turn off the t.v. as if nothing were interesting on anyways. "Lulu are you in here all by yourself?" She asked.

Lelouch paused before turning to face her. "Yeah." He answered in a sigh then seemed to think of something. "Shirley shouldn't you have swim club now?" he asked resuming the guise of a simple student.

Shirley looked up in her typical blank stare while she answered. "Yes I do, but, you see, I have to go shopping because I have to buy a birthday gift."

"Whose birthday is it?"

"Ms. Villetta, our counselor. They all agree that I should buy it since I'm the one who always gets her mad. Problem is I'm incredibly impaired when it comes to picking out presents." Shirley paused for a second rising her finger up to her jaw as she looked up and away from Lelouch.

"She seems to enjoy liquor, so I could buy her that, but I don't know what brand she likes."

"Should I go with you?" Lelouch asked still keeping up his guise of the student though he was already formulating a plan on how to turn this to his advantage.

Shirley turned back to him quickly. "Huh?" she asked seeming surprised at the offer and Lelouch let a hint of a smile touch his lips as he elaborated.

"I could help you select a gift for her."

She jumped at the chance heading over to him lowering to look in his eyes. "Really? You would?" She asked excited.

"Sure." He said softly. "Ready to go now?" He asked. He glanced back at the window catching the glint of a shadow and smiled a bit to himself. _Perfect, he will get the pres and others to follow us. It will let me get my pieces in place for tomorrow._

**Last Sanctuary**

"Mistress, Councilor Root has returned to the surface world and is now in Area 11. It seems that the ritual was a partial success in spite of General Scalene's sacrifice." The plump pixie looked down at her servant displeasure rippling across her features, but when she spoke it was masked.

"Send your best fairies after him, do not allow Root and whoever he has brought here return to Last Sanctuary. " She said.

"It will be done mistress." He replied.

"One more thing," the fairy paused and gulped looking back at his mistress. "If you fail, then I would be most displeased about having to train your successor, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes mistress."

"NOW GET OUT!" The pixie bellowed and the fairy scrambled out of the room as fast as he could.


End file.
